The present invention provides an improvement in food products prepared by starch molding and to their methods of preparation. In particular, the present invention provides starch molded gelled food products fortified with insoluble calcium.
For adults, recent medical studies have indicated that a diet containing the U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium might be effective in preventing or mitigating osteoporosis, and also possibly high blood pressure and colon cancer. Calcium is also of particular nutritional value in growing children to support bone growth. There is therefore great public interest in the consumption of food products that will supply the recommended daily allowance of calcium.
Wholesome snacks prepared from sweetened intermediate moisture shelf stable fruit or "fruit snacks" herein have recently become popular food items. These compositions are sold in various physical forms and shapes such as: 1) in rolled sheet form; 2) in rolled strip form; 3) in string form mounted on a U-board; 4) soft center filled pieces, and 5) in gelled bite size pieces of various shapes or in gelled bite size piece form prepared by starch molding.
Generally, these products are prepared from wet mixtures of the various fruit materials and added ingredients that are dried to desired moisture contents. The dehydrated compositions are formed into articles of desired shapes and sizes. Within this general similarity, however, the particular methods of preparation, product formulations and apparatus used to prepare particular products vary considerably.
Particularly popular products are in rolled sheet form such as are sold under the Fruit Roll-Ups brand. Popular products rolled strip form are sold under the Fruit By The Foot brand (see also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,053 entitled "Rolled Food Item," issued Oct. 3, 1995). Food products in string form mounted on a U-board are sold under the String Thing mark while other products in bite size pieces of various shapes are sold under various brands.
These dried fruit products are especially popular with children, particularly as snack or convenience foods. Growing children, of course, have a particular need for calcium in their diet. Unfortunately, fruit snacks are not a good source of calcium. The typical calcium content of a fruit is only on the order of under 50 mg/oz (dry basis).
Thus, while fruit snacks are popular, it would be desirable if such fruit snacks were fortified with supplemental calcium to provide a significantly nutritionally enhanced product. By significantly nutritionally enhanced is meant a product having at least 10% of the current recommended daily allowance ("RDA") or at least 100 mg of calcium (including both the native and supplemental contributions) per 1 oz (wet basis) of fruit snack serving.
Adding an ingredient that supplies a soluble calcium ion can enhance the gelling properties of a variety of gelling agents, including pectin. Since fruit contains pectin, the prior art includes numerous teachings regarding the use of soluble calcium to adjust the texture properties of fruit materials. Jam and jelly making are two familiar examples. However, since the impact of soluble calcium or gel strength is typically strong even at low concentrations, the supplemental level is generally less than 500 PPM. Also, such fruit products typically have higher moisture contents than the present fruit snacks. Thus, typical calcium level manipulation teachings regarding texture control do not provide dried fruit compositions having the levels of calcium desired for nutritional fortification while also having desired texture properties.
Further complicating the difficulties of formulating calcium fortified food products is that calcium-containing materials have their own particular, frequently undesirable taste properties. Worse, calcium can also interact with other ingredients, particularly flavors, to reduce desired flavors or to generate undesired off flavors especially over extended times at room temperature storage.
Previous art attempts at providing fruit products that have enhanced calcium levels include commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,033 entitled "Sugar and Acid Infused Fruit Products and Processes Therefor" issued Sep. 17, 1985 to Agarwala. The '033 patent teaches the infusion of sugars, acids and soluble calcium salts into discrete fruit pieces with subsequent dehydration.
Similarly, the art includes numerous teachings directed towards forming a highly soluble complex of citric acid, malic acid and calcium. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,965 entitled "Calcium Citrate Malate Composition"). While useful, such formulations require addition of expensive special ingredients or extensive processing to form the materials in situ. Also, such teachings are directed toward fluid products albeit concentrates in some instances.
Commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 08/867,785 entitled "Dried Fruit Products Fortified With Calcium and Method of Preparation" (filed Jun. 3, 1997, incorporated herein by reference) teaches methods by which dried fruit products can be made that are fortified with insoluble calcium. The methods therein described involve the post drying blending of insoluble calcium. Such methods are suitable for use for providing calcium fortified dried or intermediate moisture fruit products that are, for example, in the form of sheets or in rolled strip form.
While useful to provide calcium fortified fruit products of those particular forms, it would be desirable to similarly provide starch molded gelled bite size dried fruit products fortified with calcium, particularly those wherein the gel structuring agent is pectin. The present invention satisfies this need by providing methods for preparing such starch molded gelled bite size dried fruit products that are calcium fortified. In part, the present invention involves providing a gelable sweetened fruit slurry that includes an insoluble calcium ingredient.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide sweetened dried fruit products having improved organoleptic properties.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods for preparing calcium fortified sweetened dried gelled fruit compositions.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide methods for prepared calcium fortified sweetened dried fruit products wherein the calcium is supplied by insoluble calcium salts such as calcium phosphates.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide fruit gel product fortified with insoluble calcium and their methods of preparation.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide gelled food products, particularly those that are fruit bearing, that are fortified to high levels of calcium that nonetheless exhibit good flavor both initially and over extended storage at room temperatures.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior dried sweetened fruit provided by formulating compositions, comprising: nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners especially those provided by fruit solids, an acid setting pectin gelling agent, acidulants, high levels of insoluble calcium phosphate(s) of particular particle size, a soluble calcium sequestrant and moisture. The present invention further provides novel methods of preparation of such calcium fortified gel products involving the preacidification incorporation of the insoluble calcium source material in slurry form.